Emi Yagi

David Boyd

Lucy North

The book "Diary of a Void" by Emi Yagi immediately captures readers with its thought-provoking premise. The story follows Shibata, the only woman in her workplace who faces discrimination in the form of excessive workload and demeaning tasks. Fed up with this treatment, she decides to fake a pregnancy to escape the burden. The novel keeps readers on edge, questioning the reality of Shibata's actions and the impact of the oppressive system on her sanity.

The book also sheds light on feminist themes, exposing the sexist experiences of the characters. It highlights the absurdity of gender roles and the struggles faced by women in the workplace. Additionally, it challenges the idealized perception of motherhood, portraying the sacrifices and challenges that come with it.

Ultimately, "Diary of a Void" delves into the theme of loneliness, portraying a society that prioritizes collective well-being over individual happiness. Shibata's journey to rediscover herself resonates with readers, leaving a lasting impression long after the book is finished.

The gripping and thought-provoking nature of the novel entices readers to contemplate its themes long after reading. It's a rare gem that deserves high praise and leaves readers eager for more work from Emi Yagi.




Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Texas

A Novel

A woman in Tokyo avoids harassment at work by perpetuating, for nine months and beyond, the lie that she’s pregnant in this prizewinning, thrillingly subversive debut novel about the mother of all deceptions, for fans of Convenience Store Woman and Breasts and Eggs When thirty-four-year-old Ms. Shibata gets a new job to escape sexual harassment at her old one, she finds that as the only woman at her new workplace—a manufacturer of cardboard tubes—she is expected to do all the menial tasks. One day she announces that she can’t clear away her coworkers’ dirty cups—because she’s pregnant and the smell nauseates her. The only thing is . . . Ms. Shibata is not pregnant. Pregnant Ms. Shibata doesn’t have to serve coffee to anyone. Pregnant Ms. Shibata isn’t forced to work overtime. Pregnant Ms. Shibata rests, watches TV, takes long baths, and even joins an aerobics class for expectant mothers. She’s finally being treated by her colleagues as more than a hollow core. But she has a nine-month ruse to keep up. Before long, it becomes all-absorbing, and with the help of towel-stuffed shirts and a diary app that tracks every stage of her “pregnancy,” the boundary between her lie and her life begins to dissolve. Surreal and absurdist, and with a winning matter-of-factness, a light touch, and a refreshing sensitivity to mental health, Diary of a Void will keep you turning the pages to see just how far Ms. Shibata will carry her deception for the sake of women, and especially working mothers, everywhere.

Diary of a Void

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Rebecca Serle

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

In this "magical trip worth taking" (Associated Press), the New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years returns with a powerful novel about the transformational love between mothers and daughters set on the breathtaking Amalfi Coast.

When Katy's mother dies, she is left reeling. Carol wasn't just Katy's mom, but her best friend and first phone call. She had all the answers and now, when Katy needs her the most, she is gone. To make matters worse, their planned mother-daughter trip of a lifetime looms: to Positano, the magical town where Carol spent the summer right before she met Katy's father. Katy has been waiting years for Carol to take her, and now she is faced with embarking on the adventure alone.

But as soon as she steps foot on the Amalfi Coast, Katy begins to feel her mother's spirit. Buoyed by the stunning waters, beautiful cliffsides, delightful residents, and, of course, delectable food, Katy feels herself coming back to life.

And then Carol appears--in the flesh, healthy, sun-tanned, and thirty years old. Katy doesn't understand what is happening, or how--all she can focus on is that she has somehow, impossibly, gotten her mother back. Over the course of one Italian summer, Katy gets to know Carol, not as her mother, but as the young woman before her. She is not exactly who Katy imagined she might be, however, and soon Katy must reconcile the mother who knew everything with the young woman who does not yet have a clue.

"Rebecca Serle is known for her powerful stories that tug at the heartstrings--and her latest is just as unforgettable" (Woman's World) as it effortlessly shows us how to move on after loss, and how the people we love never truly leave us.

One Italian Summer

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Yoko Ogawa

The novel tells the story of a professor with a memory span of 80 minutes and his housekeeper. Despite my initial doubts, the book beautifully portrays the development of an unusual yet heartwarming family dynamic. The emotions are conveyed through mathematical theorems, cooking, and random touching, creating a palpable sense of love and compassion. The story is a unique, elegant portrayal of the relationships between an elderly professor, his housekeeper, and her son. The professor's struggle with memory loss and the housekeeper's personal challenges are delicately intertwined with their shared love for mathematics. The book is a short yet intense read that offers a fresh perspective on the significance of mathematics in our lives.

Yoko Ogawa's The Housekeeper and the Professor is an enchanting story about what it means to live in the present, and about the curious equations that can create a family.

He is a brilliant math Professor with a peculiar problem--ever since a traumatic head injury, he has lived with only eighty minutes of short-term memory.

She is an astute young Housekeeper--with a ten-year-old son--who is hired to care for the Professor.
And every morning, as the Professor and the Housekeeper are introduced to each other anew, a strange and beautiful relationship blossoms between them. Though he cannot hold memories for long (his brain is like a tape that begins to erase itself every eighty minutes), the Professor's mind is still alive with elegant equations from the past. And the numbers, in all of their articulate order, reveal a sheltering and poetic world to both the Housekeeper and her young son. The Professor is capable of discovering connections between the simplest of quantities--like the Housekeeper's shoe size--and the universe at large, drawing their lives ever closer and more profoundly together, even as his memory slips away.

The Housekeeper and the Professor

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Kenneth R. Miller

A Scientist's Search for Common Ground Between God and Evolution





From a leading authority on the evolution debates comes this critically acclaimed investigation into one of the most controversial topics of our times

Finding Darwin's God

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Michael J. Behe

The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution

Darwin's Black Box

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Sang Young Park

Anton Hur

Update:  A series will be coming out on October 1st in South Korea!!

Love in the Big City is a novel about a young gay man who is searching for happiness in the city of Seoul. Young is a Korean student who is cynical yet fun-loving. He moves from home to class and the beds of recent Tinder matches. He and his female best friend and roommate, Jaehee, often go to nearby bars where they drink rounds of soju and ice-cold Marlboro Reds, pushing away their anxieties about their love lives, families, and money. However, with time, Jaehee settles down, leaving Young alone to take care of his ailing mother and to find companionship in his relationships with a series of men, including a handsome yet cold man, and another who might be the great love of his life.

Love in the Big City is a brilliantly written novel that takes us into the glittering night of Seoul and the bleary-eyed morning after with humor and emotion. It is a wry portrait of millennial loneliness as well as the abundant joys of queer life.


Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

A novel

A funny, transporting, surprising, and poignant novel that was one of the highest-selling debuts of recent years in Korea, Love in the Big City tells the story of a young gay man searching for happiness in the lonely city of Seoul

Love in the Big City is the English-language debut of Sang Young Park, one of Korea's most exciting young writers. A runaway bestseller, the novel hit the top five lists of all the major bookstores, went into twenty-six printings, and was praised for its unique literary voice and perspective. It is now poised to capture a worldwide readership.

Young is a cynical yet fun-loving Korean student who pinballs from home to class to the beds of recent Tinder matches. He and Jaehee, his female best friend and roommate, frequent nearby bars where they push away their anxieties about their love lives, families, and money with rounds of soju and ice-cold Marlboro Reds that they keep in their freezer. Yet over time, even Jaehee leaves Young to settle down, leaving him alone to care for his ailing mother and to find companionship in his relationships with a series of men, including one whose handsomeness is matched by his coldness, and another who might end up being the great love of his life.

A brilliantly written novel that takes usinto the glittering nighttime of Seoul andthe bleary-eyed morning after with bothhumor and emotion, Love in the Big Cityis a wry portrait of millennial loneliness aswell as the abundant joys of queer life. 

Love in the Big City

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Laekan Zea Kemp

Something Between Bitter and Sweet is a beautifully written story about two young people and their community. It follows the journey of Pan, a young adult, as she tries to find her place in the world, within her family, and herself. Xander, an undocumented young man, is also trying to find answers to his questions about life, family, and a community that will accept him. 

The story portrays both favorable and unfavorable aspects of life and growing up, and what it's like for people who are trying to change their circumstances in the world, their community, their family roles, and within themselves. All of this is portrayed around a taco restaurant, Nacho's Tacos, which has been a part of the community for years and is a significant character in the story.

The story highlights the amazing dishes, desserts, and love that go into every bite. The restaurant is a symbol of gathering and supporting one another, and it helps wherever it can. It made me both hungry and nostalgic.

Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet is not just a YA story of first love and growing up. The issues portrayed in the book are universal and affect us all: mental health, family structure and expectations, cultural and social issues, and romantic and friendship relationships, among many others. 

The language, culture, heart, joy, pain, fear, uncertain moments, community, love, struggles, trust, respect, and beauty all come together to make this a must-read experience.


Told in two voices, Pen, whose dream of taking over her family's restaurant has been destroyed, and Xander, a new, undocumented, employee seeking his father, form a bond.

Gabatha Loves To Read

@a17259

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Emi Yagi; David Boyd; Lucy North

Diary of a Void

Rebecca Serle

One Italian Summer

Yoko Ogawa

The Housekeeper and the Professor

Kenneth R. Miller

Finding Darwin's God

Michael J. Behe

Darwin's Black Box

Sang Young Park; Anton Hur

Love in the Big City

Laekan Zea Kemp

Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet

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Emi Yagi; David Boyd; Lucy North

Diary of a Void

Rebecca Serle

One Italian Summer

Yoko Ogawa

The Housekeeper and the Professor

Kenneth R. Miller

Finding Darwin's God

Michael J. Behe

Darwin's Black Box

Sang Young Park; Anton Hur

Love in the Big City

Laekan Zea Kemp

Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet

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